Be Thankful.

Lately I've been feeling like time is flying by so quickly and so much is happening it's all just a whirlwind spinning around between my ears! As of this week we've been in Kansas for four months already, and watched the seasons change from a blazing, humid summer to mild, colorful fall and just the last few days a noticeable drop to frigid, icy winter with first snow ready to drift in any time. Looking back at those four months it is easy to become overwhelmed with how much has happened in that time, how much we've missed back in California, but also how much we've been blessed to be a part of here in Kansas. I can't help but be oh so thankful for everything that is happening in our lives right now, and in our family- both sides! 

My mantra this year has been "Choose Happiness," and with the exception of a few meltdowns along the way, I'd say I've managed to do just that. The amount of fruit it has produced has easily transitioned me into "Choose Thankfulness." I am so grateful for the love and support that my friends and family have shown through my big life changes this year, and for all of the opportunity that God has dropped in our laps the last few months! It is impossible to know exactly how things will shape up for us as we continue to get settled into our new life in Kansas, but what I do know for sure is that as long as we continue to choose happiness and express thanks for this incredible journey we're on, everything will fall into place exactly the way it is meant to.

And on that note, my sister-in-law and I are headed to the airport to pick up my mother-in-law, which officially kicks off our holiday fun! I hope you enjoy your holiday week as well, and take some time to really dwell on all of the blessings, even if they at times feel outweighed or overshadowed by that whirlwind between your ears. 

Life is as good as you allow it to be.

Holiday Weekend and a Big Announcement

Hello, darlings! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend! The beau and I opted not to take Friday off work, so it wasn't a long weekend for us, but it certainly was an eventful one! 

First of all, I have a big announcement... no, not as big as the last one, but perhaps more surprising... We're moving to Kansas City! And we're doing it in two weeks! That means the countdown has officially begun - the countdown of days left at work, of plans made with friends, of boxes to pack, and of wedding tasks to complete before we hit the road. 

I never could have imagined this year would be so full of huge life events, but what a delightful year it has been. Talk about finishing out my 20's with a bang, eh? 

Thursday we decided to spend one last holiday with my family, enjoying a perfectly summery dinner at my parents' house followed by fireworks downtown - the same ones I've been watching light up the skies over my hometown for 29 years. We ran around waving sparklers with my nephews in the same dead end street where I learned to ride a bike and climb trees.

Saturday we met up with my family again, this time at the Oakland Zoo. My fiance hadn't been to a zoo since he was a kid, so we decided that was a good item to put on the "lasts" lists for the countdown of days left in the Bay Area.

 

Sunday the beau and I spend the morning hiking at Mount Tamalpais. I got my first sunburn of the year. It is his favorite place in the Bay, so he really wanted to go one last time, and even though I'm a local, I had never been to the peak before, so it seemed worth a go.
 

We finished up our weekend with an award-worthy bargain shopping trip to the North Face Outlet in Berkeley. You know how much I love a good sale! We managed to pick up two snow jackets, three hoodies, one pair of gloves, and a beanie for... get this... $230. I kid you not. We added up the regular retail prices on all of our items and it totaled $830. *Patting myself on the back*

Celebrating the Moms in my Life

Mother's Day has always been a really special holiday for my family because it's flanked by my parents' anniversary and birthdays for my dad, sister, nephew, uncle and now my fiance as well. It's kind of our mid-year "Christmas;" a do-not-miss gathering of loved ones to lump all our festivities into one. 

I'm beyond blessed to have been surrounded by incredible, inspiring, beautiful women all my life. My mother is straight out of a story book - loving, gentle, always level headed, a grade school teacher and Sunday school teacher, endlessly dedicated to the happiness of two daughters, two grandsons and her husband of over thirty years. Then there's my dearly missed Grama Moe, my dad's mom, who was as spunky and fun as they come. I treasure childhood memories of dancing like crazy to "Great Balls of Fire" and playing card games on her bed while sipping Cherry 7-Up. I can't tell you how grateful I am to still be enjoying daily chats with Grams, my mom's mom, who has been my biggest champion. She's strong, independent, capable, and has always made me feel like I can be invincible too. Then there's my sister - if you've met her I guarantee you instantly just got a smile on your face when I mentioned her. You'd never know she's had a hard day in her life, because her energy lights up a room and her laughter is infectious. Her love for her family is endless and even when people wrong her she continues to look for the best in them and want good things for their lives.

I could go on and on and tell you about all of the girlfriends I have who constantly awe me as genuine women and mothers but I think you get it. I'm lucky to have so many mothers in my life to celebrate this Mother's Day, and I certainly hope that you take the time to recognize those in your life as well.

My sister, Grama Moe and I at Easter two years ago

My sister and I at Easter this year

Family photo, Thanksgiving 2011

My mom and Grams

Mom and I on Mother's Day last year

Fall Crafts

I realize we're now nearly a week into December and the weather is fully winter outside, but better late than never, right? Here are some fun fall crafts I did for Thanksgiving, and since I'm so late posting those, a Christmas one too. 

A few years ago I got this idea out of Safeway's quarterly magazine, which featured recipes and craft ideas for each season. These are a bit messy to make, but if you're already carving up jack-o-lanterns it's no biggie to do these at the same time. You'll need a medium sized pumpkin with a stable bottom. Cut out a circle at the top of the pumpkin and gut it as clean as possible. Arrange flowers of your choice in the pumpkin and display! It won't last more than a few days to a week because of the raw pumpkin, but you'll get more time out of it if there's no water inside and it is displayed a cool place.

 The week before Thanksgiving I attended a friend's Friendsgiving dinner. She had a "Thankful Tree" and I thought it was the cutest idea so I made one to take up to my grandparents' house for our family Thanksgiving. You'll need a tall slender flower vase, reeds or branches, ribbon, and scrapbook paper. Look for reeds or branches with small knots in the texture so that the leaves will catch at various heights. Tie ribbon around the vase. Use scissors or a dye cut to cut leaf shapes out of scrapbook paper, making a small hole on one end. Allow guests to write on the leaves what they are thankful for and hang on the branches. 

I had a hard time finding initial ornaments that I liked, so I decided to make my own. You'll need holiday ribbon, wooden letters, and gold leaf paint (can also use gold spray paint but I went with a jar because of the size of the project). Paint the letters, allow to dry, and hot glue the ribbon in a loop to the back of the letter. So easy! I ended up hanging these on our stockings instead of the tree.

Apple Squash Galette

Makes 2 galettes

Ingredients:

o   Full batch of below pie dough recipe

o   1 ½ lbs butternut squash (peeled, seeded, sliced)

o   3-4 large granny smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

o   1 tsp ground cinnamon

o   ¼ tsp each round nutmeg, cloves, salt

o   3 tbsp wheat flour

o   1/3 cup brown sugar

o   1 ½ cup sugar

o   2 tbsp whiskey

o   2 tbsp coarse decorating sugar

o   2 tbsp apricot jam

Directions:

o   Set dough on lightly floured surface and roll into a large round about 1/8 in thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until ready to fill.

o   Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack on bottom rung. Lay squash pieces on a greased baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until tender when pierced.

o   Mix apples, spices, salt, flour, both sugars, and whiskey until evenly coated. Add squash and toss to combine.

o   Pour filling into center of dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch boarder. Fold edges over filling, allowing dough to pleat as you go. Dip a pastry brush in apricot jam and brush folded edges of dough. Sprinkles with course sugar.

o   Bake galette until browned and bubbling, about 75 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Best served slightly warm.

 

Pie Dough

Makes two pie crusts

o   Mix together 3 cups flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 ½ tsp kosher salt in a food processor.

o   Add 1 cup cold, cubed unsalted butter and pulse into pea-size pieces.

o   Drizzle 2/3 cup very cold water over crumbs and pulse just until moistened.

o   Turn dough out onto a work surface and gather into a ball, turning to combine any dry crumbs.

o   Divide dough in half, form each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, chill at least 30 minutes.

 

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July! 

I celebrated with friends in San Jose with a poolside BBQ and far too much whiskey.

 

Easter Weekend in Phoenix

I realize that my love of Phoenix seems rather unreasonable, considering it is a flat, hot, desert, but it's honestly one of my favorite places for a weekend get-a-way. One of my very dear friends lives there, as does most of my extended family, so there's always wonderful company to be had. And the food, oh my goodness, you can't help but stumble into good food in Phoenix! 

My absolute must-dos for every visit are brunch at Postino, where the bruchetta and bellini never fail me, and happy hour at Sandbar, which has a location conveniently located around the corner from my friend's house. Sandbar literally has a sand patio by their outdoor bar, surrounded by a DJ booth and cabanas for your Sunday Funday pleasure. Get the nachos, trust me... and the margaritas... there's a reason why they cut you off at three margaritas. 

Some people love the Scottsdale night life, which is some of the best in the state, but I'm generally more than happy to pass on that for the poolside sunshine, a baseball game at the Diamondback's immaculate new stadium, and shopping in the countless outdoor malls.

Hello, spring!

I'm a cold and foggy weather lover for sure, but for those first few days of blooming trees and parks filled with picnic goers and when the sun is shining but the air is still crisp, oh how I fall in love with spring! It was sunny and 60 in San Francisco last week, which is absolutely ideal, but I decided to head to Phoenix for a few days to enjoy warm weather, poolside girl time with one of my besties, opening weekend of MLB with a Giants vs Diamondbacks game, and Easter Sunday with extended family. It was such a lovely weekend of fun and festivities!

Here are some delightful spring things to send you into your weekend dreaming of all things pastel and pretty and soft and sunny!

cremecycles.com

www.chanel.com

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/eco-picnic-basket

Easter Treats

Now that I've done cakepops for my coworkers a few times, I decided to change it up for Easter and do a throwback to my childhood with chocolate nests! There was some initial disappointment when I didn't walk in with cakepops, but as soon as I started handing out these little goodies everyone was on board. They're so quick and easy you have no excuse not to throw a batch together tonight!

INGREDIENTS

1 bag of chow mein noodles (I used the Safeway brand, Asian food section)

1 bag of Reese's chocolate chips

1 bag of Cadbury chocolate eggs

1 package of Peeps

DIRECTIONS

Melt chocolate chips. I like to do this on the stove top in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water as opposed to in the microwave. While you can use the microwave, it's very easy to burn the chocolate. If you need to thin the melted chocolate (with the Reese's you will), add a little bit of Crisco.

Gently fold in 3/4 bag of chow mein noodles, being careful not to crush the noodles, until they're all coated in chocolate.

Use hands to shape the mixture into little nests on wax paper. Place the eggs in the nests before the chocolate dries so they'll stick and won't roll off later in transport. Allow nests to dry completely.

Decorate any way you like! I cut squares out of a roll of cellophane, placed a handful of decorative grass in the middle, topped with the nest and a yellow Peep, and tied it closed first with a twisty and then a ribbon.

Recipe makes 10 nests.

Homemade Sprinkles

You know how much I love holiday themed baking, be it cupcakes or cakepops or full on cakes. Holidays just don't seem complete without customized treats. This morning I stumbled across a blog tutorial showing how to make your own sprinkles. Never more will I have to visit every store in town to find just the right color! And just think how far you could take this with flavors!

Homemade Sprinkles

8 ounces powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla, or other extract
Assorted food colorings
As many piping bags as you have colors, each fitted with a small pastry tip

Mix the first four ingredients until a semi-thick paste forms. Divide the paste into as many portions as you have colors, tinting each batch with the color of your choice.
Put the colored paste into a piping bag and, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, pipe out long, thin lines. Take care the lines do not touch each other.
Repeat the process with the remaining colors and allow the piped lines to dry for 24 hours.
After the time has elapsed, use a bench scraper or knife to scrape off the dried sprinkle lines and then to break/chop the lines into little pieces.
Store in an airtight container, indefinitely.

(Photos from The Kitchn's version of the above recipe)

A Belated St. Pattie's Day

My coworkers had been giving me a hard time about not bringing them any baked goodies lately (it had been since Halloween!) so I promised them St. Pattie's Day cakepops. But, I wound up being out sick with bronchitis most of that week and it didn't happen. I decided to make it up to them with a belated batch of vanilla-almond cakepops dipped in green chocolate and topped with sugar crystal sprinkles. 

Better late than never!

Delhi

My apologies for the lack of blogging these past few weeks! I promise, I had a very good excuse. I spent two lovely weeks on holiday in Delhi, and while I had wifi access, I couldn't bring myself to spare a moment of the trip typing away when I could be exploring the city or visiting with friends.

On my way to India, I had an 11-hour layover in London, which turned out to be one of my favorite days of the trip! I landed at Heathrow mid-morning, took the Tube to Picadilly, and walked a couple blocks to Berry Brother's and Rudd. It was incredible getting a tour of their shop, one of the oldest in London. The building and the company have such rich history and are in an ideal location, just a short walk across Green Park to Buckingham Palace. That evening, I made my way back to the airport for an overnight flight to Delhi.

From the time I arrived in Delhi my days were a whirlwind. I walked all over the city exploring ruins, temples, markets, and parks. I stayed with a college friend, Poh Si, who is a foreign correspondent based in Delhi with her Indian lawyer husband. It was exciting to see the city from the locals' perspective, getting to experience the places where they shop and dine, and hanging out with their friends, many of whom are journalists or work for NGO's. A huge highlight of the trip was spending two days with my dear friend Esther and her mother, who passed through Delhi at the tail end of their three-week India adventure.